Mark Anthony. The last battle and death of Mark Antony

Story ancient world- one of the most interesting pages in the chronicle of humanity. Its last stage was Ancient Rome - a state that existed for almost a thousand years.

Interest in the history of this ancient country is due to the fact that, having expanded from a city into a vast structure in area, it went through many phases of development. Many names are associated with this ancient state, and one of them is Mark Antony.

Ancient Rome

As a result of the conquests of the 3rd-1st centuries BC, it turned into a world power. Ambition, murder, conquest, unsurpassed power in the development of technology at that time - all this became the cornerstone in the foundation of the empire. Gaius Julius Caesar, the most powerful ruler of Rome, played a significant role in this. This ambitious politician and general, realizing that the path to glory lay on the battlefield far beyond the borders of the empire, was able to almost double the size of the state.

As a man inclined to power, he was able to establish imperial rule in Rome. His thirst for conquest required the implementation of the most daring projects. And in this only his closest comrades, one of whom was Mark Antony, could help him. Rome in the era of Caesar turned from an anarchic state into a powerful empire. And his devoted comrade-in-arms, Mark Antony, played a significant role in this, a photo of whose bust can be seen in any school history textbook.

Closest Companion

The son of Praetor Anthony of Crete and Caesar's relative Julia, this future commander and politician was born in 82 BC. His youth cannot be called calm and measured. Mark Antony led a very disorderly and wasteful life. At one point, he was even forced to flee from his creditors to Greece, where he studied science and philosophy for some time. But after some time the young man realized that all this was alien to him. Military affairs is what Mark Antony decided to devote himself to.

Biography

He was born on the fourteenth of January 82 BC into one of the famous families in Rome, which belonged to the ruling elite. His father, Mark Antony of Crete, or Kretik, came from a very ancient family, who, according to legend, went back to the son of Hercules Anton.

Anthony's ancestors always held high positions in Rome. His grandfather even achieved the rank of consul, and later censor.

Childhood

In the family of the future commander, in addition to himself, there were two more sons. He, like many offspring of noble families, received an excellent education at home. He was always predicted to have a wonderful future. In addition, Mark Antony, whose biography is described in most detail by Cicero, was always in excellent physical shape and excelled in military preparatory and gymnastic training. This was considered the most important component in the education of young noble Romans.

Youth

Mark Antony, whose adolescence occurred during a relatively calm time for the empire, strove, like other young nobles, for free self-expression. Since at this time all military campaigns took place far from the capital, noble youth spent all their time in Rome instead of serving in the army. Mark Antony tried to imitate his distant ancestor Hercules: he let his beard grow, began to gird his tunic at the hip, fastened a sword to his belt and wrapped himself in a heavy cloak.

At that time on him big influence provided by Gaius Curio, the son of the consul. According to biographers, it was he who turned the future to women, drinking and unaffordable luxury.

Despite his noble origins, Anthony already had a completely damaged reputation in his youth. Therefore, his relatives could not agree on his marriage to a girl from any noble family. As a result, he entered into his first marriage with the daughter of a wealthy freed slave, Quintus Gallus. However, this family was not destined to have long history: by 44 BC. e. his wife died.

Far from home

The father of Julius Caesar's comrade-in-arms and future commander, Mark Antony Sr., left huge debts after his death, which fell on his son's shoulders. But since he led a very wild life, he had nothing to pay him with. Wanted by creditors, he fled to Greece. Here Anthony studied for some time with philosophers and famous rhetoricians. But soon, realizing that military affairs was closer to him, he abandoned the humanities. Soon, Mark Antony was appointed commander of the cavalry by the Syrian proconsul Gabinius. A warrior by nature, he distinguished himself in campaigns both against Aristobulus in Judea and in Egypt, where he assisted Ptolemy XII Auletes in every possible way and helped him ascend the throne.

Under the leadership of Caesar

The names of these two politicians and commanders are inextricably linked with each other. In 54 BC. e. Antony, having arrived to Caesar in Gaul, with his help acquired the quaestor. And five years later, already as a tribune, together with Cassius Longinus he was able to support the latter in the Senate. But this did not have the expected result, so Anthony, like other Caesarians, had to flee the city.

The war has begun. Gaius Julius handed over to Anthony the troops concentrated in Italy. At the Battle of Pharsalus, Anthony fought on the left flank. Upon returning to Rome, he was appointed by Caesar magister equitum - commander of the cavalry. And in the fiftieth year, with the support of his patron, he became. Having shown himself to be an active supporter of the latter and taking advantage of his undivided trust, at the beginning of the Civil War he received the position of propraetor and began to head the Roman administration in the absence of the emperor.

Death of a patron

However, the fact that Caesar essentially proclaimed himself dictator for life and king of Rome led to his isolation and rejection by others. The Senate was literally saturated with discontent with tyranny. Even Caesar's protégé, Brutus Mark, was persuaded to betray.

And finally, in March forty-four BC. e. forty conspirators, motivated by the ideas of freedom, carried out their plan. Gaius Julius Caesar was stabbed to death with daggers. But his death did not lead to the triumph of justice and the restoration of the republic, as the conspirators wanted.

Famous speech

Caesar's funeral was scheduled for March twentieth. Since the deceased had no close relatives left in Rome, and Gaius Octavius ​​was his Foster-son- was in Greece at that time, then Marcus Brutus, as city praetor, decided that Anthony should deliver the funeral oration. Although the conspirators and Caesarians outwardly managed to maintain the appearance of reconciliation, the crowd was nevertheless heated, which Caesar’s student and ally took advantage of. Mark Antony, which called for the punishment of the murderers, was completed by the display of the dictator's bloody toga.

After this, as the speaker sought, the ceremony was disrupted: the Romans, having collected all the wooden things from the surrounding shops, made a funeral pyre right in the Forum, after which they rushed in search of the conspirators.

After Caesar

Knowing that the same fate awaited him as his patron, Mark Antony managed to escape from Rome. He later returned and took possession of the dictator's treasury and archives. The mass unrest that broke out with his direct assistance led to the fact that the conspirators were forced to leave the capital of the empire. Very short period, but Mark Antony became the sole ruler. He even managed to carry out a number of reforms and approve new laws.

Power struggle

However, after a short time, the Senate decided to oppose Anthony to Guy Octavian, whom Caesar named his heir shortly before the murder. Gradually, the dictator's comrade-in-arms began to lose his influence. And when in the Mutinsk War in 43 BC. e. his troops were defeated, he had to flee to the south. Here the commander Mark Antony persuaded Marcus Lepidus, the proconsul of Gaul and Near Spain, to an alliance. Having recruited a significant army, he moved to Italy. As a result, the warring parties, having agreed, formed a triumvirate - a “union of three.” Gaius Antony, Lepidus and Mark Antony became the supreme rulers in Rome, having eliminated their main political opponents - Cassius and Brutus, who killed Caesar, in the battle of Philippi.

The power of the three did not last long: in 1942, they and Octavian, having concluded an agreement among themselves, removed Lepidus. Then Mark Antony, who had received the eastern part of the Roman Empire in the partition, began to reorganize his provinces. He traveled to Greece, Bithynia, and Syria.

last love

He was greeted with honors everywhere. And she just didn’t deign the commander any attention. Stung, Mark Antony ordered her to come to Tarsus. But when the mistress in the costume of Venus, surrounded by sea nymphs, facies and cupids, on a huge ship with scarlet sails and a gilded stern, sailed at dusk to the sounds of the most tender music, the seasoned commander and reveler, the brave man and favorite of women was smitten its splendor. And instead of angry threats, he came with an invitation to dinner.

Cleopatra and Mark Antony retired on a ship covered with rose petals. The feast lasted four days, and then they headed to her capital residence. The Roman commander was ready to give this seductress the whole world.

Entertainment and orgies continued throughout the winter in the Egyptian capital. The ruler completely withdrew from the affairs of the state. The “Alexandrian courtesan,” who did not leave her lover for a minute, turned into a sweetly passionate bacchante. She indulged his every instinct, drank with him, expressed himself cynically, and responded with abuse. Cleopatra and Mark Antony spent every day in entertainment: their life became a real theater of pleasure with constantly updated scenery. Sometimes lovers, dressed as commoners, walked the streets, starting fights and practical jokes.

The ruler thought only about Cleopatra. He began to give her away to the children of the earth, ordered coins to be minted with the profile of his beloved, and her name to be stamped on the shields of his legionnaires.

The price of love

The Romans, deeply outraged by such actions, began to grumble. In 32 BC. e. Octavian spoke in the Senate. His diatribe was directed against Mark Antony. He, having published his will, in which the Roman commander ordered to bury himself in Egyptian soil, practically called the latter a traitor. But the last straw was the point in which Mark Antony named the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar as his heir, recognizing for him not only Egypt, but also other lands with which he endowed his mistress.

The will had the effect of a bomb exploding. Octavian, on behalf of the Senate, announced

War against the Roman Empire

The army of Cleopatra and Antony was more numerous. This was precisely the reason for their defeat: they hoped for it too much and lost. The Egyptian queen, who had no experience, was to command the fleet. In the decisive battle in early September 31 BC. e., not far from the Greek Actium, she, not understanding her lover’s strategy, abandoned him at the decisive moment, ordering him to retreat. The Romans managed to win a complete victory.

In despair, Cleopatra and Mark Antony held a farewell feast. Egypt has never seen such rampant orgies.

Death

When Octavian approached Alexandria, the queen, wanting to soften him, sent messengers to him with generous gifts. And she locked herself in the chambers and began to wait. The servants, misunderstanding such seclusion, informed Anthony that his mistress had died by committing suicide. Hearing this, the commander stabbed himself with a dagger. He died for several more hours in the arms of Cleopatra.

Meanwhile, the Romans captured Alexandria. The queen's attempts to negotiate with Octavian were unsuccessful. Her charms had no effect on the latter, although he was famous for his adventures.

Cleopatra no longer had any illusions about her future: she had to walk in shackles around Rome behind Octavian’s chariot. But the proud “Alexandrian courtesan” avoided shame: the faithful servants managed to give her a basket of fruit, under which they hid a very poisonous snake. So on August 30, 30 BC, the love story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra ended.

Descendants

Chroniclers described this Roman commander, Caesar's comrade-in-arms, as a man with a distinguished, handsome appearance. The main traits of his character are intelligence and generosity, wit and spiritual openness, ease of manner and politeness. All these qualities, according to Plutarch, paved the way for him to the brilliant heights of power. It was they who invariably increased his power, even despite numerous mistakes and errors. But all historians call his main weakness Cleopatra, who stood in his way and ruined his life.

Mark Antony had seven children. Two sons from his first wife Fulvia, a daughter and Antony the Younger from Octavia, Octavian’s sister, and three offspring from the Egyptian queen. She gave birth to twins - Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, as well as the younger one - Ptolemy Philadelphus.

History knows at least two more of his namesakes, who, according to some information, are considered distant descendants. This is Marcus Antonius Aurelius, who was from 161 to 180. He was a philosopher, a representative of late Stoicism and a follower of Epictetus. He even left to his descendants a twelve-volume work entitled “To Himself.”

Another namesake, Mark Antony Sempronianus Romanus Africanus, is better known in Roman historiography under the name Gordian I. He was also an emperor and ruled the empire in 238.

Nevertheless, Gordian is known as the man who created the amphitheater of Mark Antony, in which games were held that were not inferior in cruelty to those that took place in the Colosseum.

Participation in wars: Gallic War. Roman-Parthian Wars. Civil war.
Participation in battles: Dyrrachium. Philippi. Cape Shares

(Marcus Antonius) General of Ancient Rome, member of the triumvirate (from 43 BC)

Married to Julia of the House of Caesars. In his youth he joined the supporters of Catalina and therefore in 58 BC. e. had to flee from Rome to Greece, where he studied the art of war.

Here Anthony met the proconsul Gabinius and, together with him, as commander of the cavalry, set off to conquer Syria. In 57-56. BC e. On behalf of Gabinius, he pacified the Jewish uprising. In 54 BC. e. went to Gaul to Julius Caesar and became his active assistant in a long Gallic War.

Then he took part in the war between Caesar and Pompey. Together with Caesar, Anthony crossed the Rubicon and fought with the troops of Pompey in upper Italy and Illyria. In 48 BC. e., when Caesar pursued Pompey in Epirus and was cut off from the Roman troops, Anthony recruited four legions (20 thousand soldiers and 800 horsemen) and sailed from Brundisi to Nymphea, near the Risa River. In four days, Antony penetrated to Dyrrhachium, where he united with Caesar’s troops, cutting off the camp Pompey from the city.

Caesar and Antony led siege of Dyrrhachium, but, having suffered two defeats, were forced to retreat to Thessaly, where the battle took place under Pharsalus. In this battle, Antony commanded the right wing of Caesar's troops and played one of the important roles in the defeat of Pompey's troops.

After the death of Julius Caesar Anthony proclaimed himself his heir, but met resistance in the person of Caesar's grandson, Octavius, who was supported by the Senate opposition led by Cicero.

Things came to an open rupture, and the Senate sent troops against Antony to Gaul. In 45 BC. e. near the city of Mutina, Anthony was defeated. Later, under pressure from the troops, a reconciliation of prominent Caesarians took place, and a second triumvirate was formed (Antony, Octavian and Lepidus). The power of the triumvirs was sanctioned by the popular assembly, and with the help of proscriptions they dealt with their political opponents. According to an agreement concluded between the triumvirs, Antony received Gaul under his control.

After this, Anthony, together with Octavius took a campaign to Macedonia, where in two battles he defeated the troops of Brutus and Cassius.

With the subsequent division of the provinces, Anthony received control of the eastern provinces of the Roman Republic. Arriving in the East, he began to establish order here and collect money for the upcoming war.

Soon, however, he had to turn against Sextus Pompey the Younger, who was engaged in piracy in Sicily and Sardinia. Sailing with the fleet to Sicily in 38 BC. e., Anthony fought two naval battles at Cum and Messina, in which his fleet was badly damaged. The following year the triumvirate was extended for another five years, and in 36 BC. e. the fleets of all the triumvirs went to Sicily. Myself Anthony, sailing from Tarentum, struck in Battle of Navlokh Sextus Pompey is decisively defeated.

After this he went to fight the Parthians. He managed to penetrate into Media with a large army and besiege the city of Praasn. But due to the stubborn resistance of the Parthians and the departure of the Parthian allied troops, Anthony had to lift the siege. In 34 BC. e. Anthony managed to annex Armenia to the Roman possessions.

In the East Anthony began to behave like an autocrat. Having become close to the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, he gave her and her children huge possessions. This policy led to a rift between the triumvirs and restored public opinion in Rome against Antony. In 32 BC. e. The Senate declared war on Antony and Cleopatra, entrusting the main command to Octavian.

1. Mark Antony came from a noble family; he was a relative of Caesar on his mother's side. The boy received a good education; According to his mentors, he was distinguished by an excellent memory and a sharp mind. He paid great attention to his physical form. After the death of his father, the future consul inherited huge debts. Mark Antony was forced to hide from creditors in Greece. Probably to decide financial difficulties, he married the daughter of a wealthy former slave (marriage to a girl from a noble family was impossible due to the reputation of the young man). After the death of his wife, Mark Anthony entered into a second marriage - this time his chosen one was cousin Antonia Hybrida. A few years later, the politician initiated a divorce, accusing his wife of treason. His third wife was the Roman matron Fulvia. He preferred Cleopatra to his fourth wife, Octavia. In addition, rumors about the politician's homosexual relationships were widespread in Rome. Cicero willingly distributed them; it was probably a matter of personal enmity.

Feast of Anthony and Cleopatra

2. Mark Antony became an ally of Caesar in 55−54 BC. e. With his help, he received the quaestorship, and a few years later, in turn, supported Caesar in the Senate. During his stay in Egypt, Caesar appointed him chief of the cavalry and entrusted him with the administration of Italy. It is known that Mark Antony was a brilliant orator, and this was one of the reasons for his popularity. In addition, Caesar valued him as a talented commander. The Allies won the election of consul in 44 BC. e. After Caesar's death, Mark Antony made a fiery speech, calling for the conspirators to be punished. In 42 BC. e. the commander defeated the forces of Brutus and Cassius.

Death of Anthony

3. The relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra was overgrown with a mass of fantastic details, but Plutarch’s testimony was also preserved: “She played dice with him, drank together, hunted together, was among the spectators when he practiced with weapons, and at night when he , in the dress of a slave, wandered and wandered around the city, stopping at the doors and windows of houses and showering his usual jokes on the owners - people of ordinary rank, Cleopatra was here next to Anthony, dressed to match him. Infatuated with the Egyptian queen, Mark Antony left state affairs; in addition, he transferred to the children of Cleopatra part of the lands intended for his children. The relationship lasted 10 years, while many in Rome were dissatisfied with the politician’s “adventure”. “What destroyed Mark Antony, a great man with noble inclinations, what led him to foreign morals and un-Roman vices, if not drunkenness and a passion for Cleopatra, not inferior to a passion for wine?” Seneca asked.

4. Octavian Augustus entered the fight against Caesar’s former ally. He started a war with Egypt, and on September 2, 31 BC. e. The opponents met at Cape Actium. Cleopatra was present on one of the ships during the battle; According to some reports, at the decisive moment she left the battlefield. Anthony's fleet, consisting of 220-360 ships, went over to the enemy's side. Octavian's crews were well prepared for a naval battle. Plutarch wrote: “Finally, close combat ensued, but there were no ram strikes or holes, because Antony’s cargo ships could not gain acceleration, on which the strength of the ram mainly depends, and Caesar’s [Octavian] ships not only avoided head-on collisions, fearing the impenetrable copper plating of the nose, but they did not dare to hit the sides, because the ram broke into pieces, bumping into thick, tetrahedral body beams, connected with iron staples. The fight was like a land battle, or, more precisely, like a battle near fortress walls.” Mark Antony fled with Cleopatra to Alexandria. He committed suicide on August 1, 30 BC. e.

ANTONY, MARK(Marcus Antonius) (c. 83–30 BC), famous Roman political figure and a general, friend and confidant of Caesar, and a member of the second triumvirate, along with Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Having distinguished himself in the cavalry, Antony became one of Gaius Julius Caesar's staff officers in Gaul. In 51 BC was elected quaestor (an official in charge of finances); He also spent his magistracy under Caesar.

While in Rome in the critical 50 BC, when powerful factions in the Senate different ways tried to remove Caesar from command of the troops, Antony defended Caesar's interests against the Senate and Gnaeus Pompey. At this time, Antony was elected to the position of tribune of the people, which was of key importance due to the right of veto over the decisions of any officials, but in January 49 BC. he was forced to flee north and seek refuge in Caesar's camp. Caesar immediately crossed the Rubicon, crossing from Cisalpine Gaul into Italy proper “to protect the tribunes.” In the ensuing civil war Antony played a significant role, participating in Caesar's military activities in Italy and Greece, and during Caesar's absence in 49–47 BC. commanded his troops in Italy. After some cooling in relations, Caesar and Antony reconciled and worked closely together during their joint consulate in 44 BC.

In March of the same year, Caesar was killed by conspirators. With his funeral speech, Anthony so excited the crowd that Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who were at the head of the conspiracy, considered it prudent to leave Rome. The policy of maneuvering that Antony pursued over the next few months undoubtedly contributed to the consolidation of his position and encouraged his ambitious plans, but the unscrupulous handling of Caesar's papers, the arrogant attitude towards his heir Octavian, the recruitment of troops, numerous intrigues, as well as the attempt to take Cisalpine Gaul from The governor of this province, Decimus Junius Brutus, was distrustful of Antony. The Senate, incited by the great orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, condemned Antony in scourging and passionate speeches known as Philippi, came to the rescue of Decimus Brutus and instructed Octavian to support the consuls elected in 43 BC in the fight against Anthony. Antony's forces were defeated at the Battle of Mutina (although both consuls died in the fighting), and Antony himself returned north to Transalpine Gaul.

Here, however, he was soon joined by Lepidus and other rulers of the western provinces, and when the Senate treated Octavian with disdain, he also went over to Antony’s side. It was impossible to resist the combined forces of Antony, Octavian and Lepidus, and in November 43 BC. Antony, Octavian and Lepidus, in accordance with the law of Titius, were appointed “triumvirs for the organization of affairs in the state” for the next five years and were endowed with almost unlimited powers. Having received supreme power, the triumvirs immediately began to exterminate their real or imagined opponents; Anthony's enemy Cicero was also killed. Moreover, the urgent need for money prompted the triumvirs to resort to ruthless confiscations of property. Then (in 42 BC) Antony and Octavian crossed the Adriatic Sea and entered Macedonia, where they defeated the troops of Marcus Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi. Since Octavian was ill, command of the troops passed to Antony, who proved himself to be a brilliant commander.

Anthony spent most of the years that followed in the East. In 41 BC he renewed his acquaintance with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and spent the next winter with her in Egypt. In 40 BC Antony's wife Fulvia and his brother Lucius sowed discord between Antony and Octavian by rebelling against Octavian in Perusia (modern Perugia) in central Italy. However, reconciliation became possible again after Octavian took Perusia and Fulvia died. Antony and Octavian signed an agreement in Brundisium, according to which they actually divided the Roman Republic; at the same time, Antony received the eastern provinces, Octavian the western, and Lepidus was given only the province of Africa. Antony married Octavia, Octavian's sister. In 39–38 BC. Anthony was mostly in Greece, and his troops at this time won several victories over the Parthians. In 37 BC a new break with Octavian was barely avoided, and the Tarentum Agreement was concluded, extending the triumvirate for another five years.

However, relations between Antony and Octavian continued to deteriorate. While the war with the Parthians (in 36 BC) was unsuccessful for Anthony, his marriage to Cleopatra (probably at the same time) and the subsequent one in 33 BC. the breakup with Octavia was a slap in the face public opinion in Rome, Octavian defeated (in 36 BC) the obstructing maritime shipping to Italy the fleet of Sextus Pompey, the son of Caesar's former opponent Gnaeus Pompey the Great, and (at the same time) deprived Lepidus of his triumviric powers. Sharp mutual attacks followed, the opponents - Antony and Octavian - sought to belittle each other's merits. In 34 BC Anthony led successful military operations in Armenia and even captured King Artavazd; in addition, he carried out a number of successful reorganizations of the eastern provinces. However, the excessive honors given by Antony to Cleopatra and her four children (one of whom was from Caesar, the other three from himself) were skillfully used by Octavian's supporters in order to portray Antony as an oriental despot, fascinated by the Egyptian queen. Indeed, during the triumph that Antony celebrated in Alexandria in the same 34 BC, he distributed vast territories to Cleopatra and her children.

It is possible that Antony behaved too arrogantly, but it seems unlikely that he turned into a real Asian despot who disdained Roman customs. Undoubtedly, many prominent Romans did not think so, since only a small part of the Senate supported Octavian when, in 32 BC. he deprived Anthony of his powers and officially declared war on Cleopatra. All Italy, however, united in the famous coniuratio Italiae, a confederation of Italian supporters of Octavian; and when in 31 BC. Antony and Cleopatra, intending to land in Italy, sent their troops to the west; at Cape Actium (in northwestern Greece) they were met by Octavian's powerful fleet. In what happened here naval battle Antony and Cleopatra were decisively defeated and fled to Egypt. The following year, Octavian entered Alexandria, and Antony committed suicide after receiving false news of Cleopatra's death. Dying, he was taken to her and died in her arms.

The goal of life is not to be on the side of the majority,
but to live in accordance with the inner,
the law you are aware of.
Mark Antony

Successor to Caesar's power and his best friend, Mark Antony, Emperor of Rome, summoned Cleopatra for an explanation to his main residence, located in Anatolia. In the spring, 41 BC. she crossed the Mediterranean to meet him.

But when she saw Mark Antony, she almost instantly fell in love with him, as did he. Some time later, the emperor accepted her invitation to visit Egypt and arrived in Alexandria to wait out the winter there in comfort and a pleasant climate.

The ensuing relationship between these two influential people significantly strengthened Egypt's position in the Mediterranean. But their love was outraged by the Romans, who feared the growing power of the Egyptians. Despite all the threats, Anthony and Cleopatra still entered into marriage in Antioch (in Syria) in 36 BC. e.

Together, Antony and Cleopatra formed a powerful controlled force. Now they were openly together, and openly opposed Octavian, Antony's rival, claiming power in Rome. As a Roman general, with a powerful army in the eastern provinces, Antony gave his new wife an impressive wedding gift - most Middle East. In 34 BC, he decided to proclaim Cleopatra Queen of Kings and Caesar of Caesars, ruling jointly in Egypt and Cyprus through joint subject rulers.

In the tradition of many eastern empires, Cleopatra and Anthony began to personify the earthly viceroys of God. To the Greeks they were represented as Dionysus and Aphrodite; to the Egyptians as Osiris and Isis.
But Octavian, Antony's rival, had enough strength to prevent this. He was blood relative Caesar. How could he calmly look at the fact that Anthony took his uncle’s place without right? In 31 BC, he declares war on Antony. The decisive battle between the armies of Octavian and Antony with Cleopatra took place at Cape Actium, located in Greece, on September 2, 31 BC.

The exact course of the battle is not known for certain, but a beautiful fictional story says that during the battle in Actium, Antony received false news of the death of Cleopatra. Shocked by the news, he pierced himself with the sword as he rushed at him. In fact, having lost part of his main fleet, Antony fled to Egypt, following Cleopatra. But the royal couple could not avoid the misfortune hanging over them. The following year, when Octavian entered Egypt with his army, Antony committed suicide to avoid imprisonment when all his last troops defected to Octavian. When Cleopatra learned of Antony's death, she was very shocked. She was captured by Octavian, who limited her power to a small handful of guards and part of her own palace. Not resigned to the death of her husband and her captivity, with the help of some supportive subjects, she smuggled a small poisonous snake, an asp, hiding it in his apartment in a fig basket.

Then, Cleopatra ordered her maid to leave her alone. She dressed herself in royal clothes, and lying on a golden sofa, she put the asp to her chest. A little later she was found dead. Great love requires great sacrifices. The love of Anthony and Cleopatra represents that love can be like sacrifice.

When Mark Antony invited the queen to the first meeting, she refused a couple of times. At that time Cleopatra was building a ship with scarlet sails, strewn with rose petals to amaze the commander.
***

The Wager of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
One of the oldest bets in history was made between Cleopatra and Mark Antony. The queen bet that she could drink wine worth 10 million sesterces in one dinner. Mark Antony accepted this unexpected bet with interest. To win, Cleopatra had to resort to cunning. At the very beginning of the dinner, a glass of wine vinegar was placed in front of her, the queen took a huge black pearl of fabulous value from her ear and threw it into the glass. Calcium carbonate reacted with acetic acid and by the end of the dinner the result was an expensive cocktail of corresponding value, which the queen drank in one spectacular sip. Mark Antony had no choice but to recognize Cleopatra's victory.

Scientists have proven the reality of this event. Professor Prudence Jones from the University of New Jersey found that it takes about 24 hours for a medium-sized pearl to dissolve in vinegar. He suggests that the Egyptian queen soaked her earring in vinegar in advance and took it out of her ear in a softened form. But it is possible that the dinner between Cleopatra and Mark Antony lasted the entire 24 hours.
***

A fishing incident.
The famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra was a fishing enthusiast. One day, Mark Antony, wanting to impress his beloved, hired a diver to bait a fish on his hook. However, Cleopatra figured out her lover’s plan and decided to teach him a lesson. Mark Antony realized that his plan had been revealed when he pulled it out of the water... Already processed (namely salted fish). It was planted by a diver hired by Cleopatra.

James Purefoy as Mark Antony. Series "Rome".

Plutarch on Mark Antony:

“He had a beautiful and representative appearance. An excellently shaped beard, a wide forehead, and a hooked nose gave Anthony a courageous appearance... He tried to reinforce his appearance with his clothes: every time he had to appear in front of a large crowd of people, he girded his tunic with very hips, fastened a long sword to his belt and wrapped himself in a heavy military cloak. Even what the rest seemed vulgar and intolerable - boasting, endless jokes, an unpleasant passion for drinking, the habit of sitting down with a diner or greedily swallowing a piece from a soldier's table while standing, all this instilled in the soldiers a truly amazing love and affection for Anthony. And there was nothing repulsive in his love pleasures - on the contrary, they created new friends and supporters for Anthony, for he willingly helped others in such matters and was not at all angry when they laughed over his own adventures.Antony's generosity, the latitude with which he bestowed gifts on soldiers and friends, first revealed to him brilliant path to power, and then, when he rose to power, invariably increased his power, despite countless mistakes and errors that undermined his power and even threatened to overthrow him."